BY FRANK DRUCKER,
Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS,
NY, Sunday, December 4, 2016—Tweet Me (Pat Lachance, $24.80) whipped ‘fellow
lass’ Dot Dot Dot Dash (Steve Smith) Sunday afternoon, winning Yonkers
Raceway’s mile-and-a-quarter, $56,000 Open Handicap Trot.
The
added-distance feature was an all-on-the-gate-eight soiree, with any number of
early interest parties. One of those, Hemi Seelster (Jason Bartlett), jumped it
off as the 11-10 favorite.
Not
Afraid (Dan Dube), Lady’s Dude and Wind of the North (Mark MacDonald) were all
in the game at the outset. Wind of the North was out two turns (:28.1, :57)
before eventually making the lead.
After
a 1:26.3 three-quarters, Not Afraid made a second move, disposing of the leader
and bringing the ladies into contention. Not Afraid led past the 1:56.2
milepost, taking a length-and-three-quarter lead into the lane.
However, a third-over Tweet Me and fourth-up Dot Dot Dot Dash were beginning
their assaults, the former getting to the wire three-quarters of a length
before the latter in 2:26.
Not
Afraid, Red Hot Herbie (Jordan Stratton) and Bentley Spur (Joe Bongiorno)
rounding out the payees.
For Tweet Me, a 5-year-old daughter of Andover
Hall owned by Bridget McNeese and trained by Nicholas Devita, it was her sixth
win in 25 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $149.50, with the triple returning
$601.
This week’s installment of the “New York, New
York Double’ offered a 2-Best Play (Aqueduct’s 3rd race) and 4-Lo
Rail Crossing (our 5th race) winning combination, which returned
$13.10 for every correct dollar wager. Total pool was $4,408.
